Personal Interview : 5 Key Advantages and Disadvantages

This article explores the pros and cons of personal interviews, a common evaluation method involving face-to-face discussions between an interviewee (the candidate) and an interviewer (the evaluator).

What is a Personal Interview?

A personal interview is a face-to-face discussion used for evaluation purposes. Prior to the interview, resumes are typically gathered from job sites or consultants based on the organization’s needs. Relevant candidates are then selected from this pool for personal interviews, scheduled at mutually convenient times. This selection often follows an initial telephone interview to assess qualifications, experience, and relevant skills.

Candidates are given individual time slots for their interviews.

During the interview, one or more interviewers evaluate the candidate based on several criteria, including:

• Past experience
• Technical and professional skills
• Work-life balance
• Leadership potential (assessed by determining if the candidate is an initiator or a follower)
• Attitude and approach to various situations
• Body language
• References provided
• Verification of qualifications
• Salary expectations
• Availability
• Future goals and alignment with the company’s vision

Advantages of Personal Interviews

Following are some of the benefits of conducting personal interviews:

1. In-depth skill assessment: Technical abilities can be thoroughly evaluated with detailed questioning.
2. Visual aids: The use of visual aids and whiteboards allows for better demonstration and understanding.
3. Overcoming language barriers: Face-to-face interaction can mitigate misunderstandings due to language differences.
4. Improved communication: Eliminates interference from poor phone lines or network issues, fostering better cooperation.
5. Accessibility: Allows even those less familiar with technology to participate.
6. Rapport building: Increases rapport between the interviewer and the interviewee.
7. Faster hiring process: The candidate can be interviewed by multiple stakeholders (technical team, hiring manager, HR) in one session, speeding up the overall process.

Disadvantages of Personal Interviews

Following are some of the drawbacks of personal interviews.

1. High cost: Personal interviews are generally more expensive to conduct.
2. Requires trained interviewers: Effective interviews necessitate highly skilled and trained interviewers.
3. Time-consuming: The process can be quite lengthy.
4. Labor-intensive: Requires significant manpower to organize and execute.
5. Potential for bias: Interviewer bias can be difficult to eliminate, and confidentiality cannot always be guaranteed.
6. Reluctance to share information: Interviewees may be hesitant to disclose sensitive or confidential details.
7. Interviewer influence: The interviewer’s characteristics and behavior can influence the interviewee’s responses.
8. Geographical limitations: Physical presence is required, limiting the reach to candidates in a specific location.
9. Respondent reluctance: Some individuals may be unwilling to talk to strangers in person.

Conclusion: Personal interviews offer a direct and interactive method for evaluating candidates or gathering in-depth information, allowing interviewers to assess verbal and non-verbal cues, clarify responses and build rapport. However, they can be time consuming, costly and prone to interviewer bias. While personal interviews remain a valuable tool for qualitative assessment and decision making, their effectiveness depends on proper planning, interviewer skill and the context in which they are used.